Pocket knife with blade locking means



Nov. 15, 1966 H. N. BLISS 3,284,897

POCKET KNIFE WITH BLADE LOCKING MEANS Filed 00 s, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. HARVEY N. BLISS ATTORNEY Nov. 15, 1966 H. N. BLISS POCKET KNIFE WITH BLADE LOCKING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1964 INVENTOR.

HARVEY N. BLISS BY ATTORNEY United States Patent Connecticut Filed Oct. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 402,409 6 Claims. (Cl. 30-161) This invention relates to a combination implement assembly and more particularly to the type of pocket combination implement usually including a handle and a plurality of blade-like pivotable members which may be shaped and designed for a variety of purposes. Typically such members may include a knife, a nail file, a screwdriver, a bottle opener and the like as individual blades or .in the form of combination blade members capable of several functions.

Some known implements of this general type have been provided with a resilient frictional force bearing against the shanks of blade members in a direction normal to their pivotal axis, to retain the blade members in a desired position. Other prior art implements have provided frictional force bearing against the shanks of blade members in a direction generally along their pivotal axis by tightly compressing the pivotal mounting means such as a rivet, for instance. Though this latter means is inexpensive, the degree of tightness of the blade mounting means is critical because a very tight rivet will cause undue dif ficulty in opening the blade members and conversely mounting a pivot that is too loose will allow blade members of such prior art assemblies to fall open.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a combination implement assembly in which the blade members are retained in a desired position by means which overcome disadvantages of the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination implement assembly having blade members held in position by improved resilient frictional bearing upon their shank portions in a direction generally parallel to their pivotal axis or normal to their pivotal planes. An equally important object of the present invention is to provide such resilient frictional bearing upon the blade members of a combination implement by inexpensive yet effective means which is integral with the basic members of the assembly.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such resilient frictional bearing for implements having different numbers of blade members. These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be better understood from the description of several embodiments of the present invention which follows when taken together with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top elevational view of the embodiment of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of a blade member which may be included in the combination implement assembly of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the shank portion of the blade member of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an end view of an embodiment of the present invention including the blade member of FIG- URES 3 and 4;

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the assembly of FIGURE 5 showing a blade in partially opened position;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational View of a blade member which may be included in the combination implement assembly of the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the shank portion of the blade member of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a partial top elevational view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a blade in open position;

FIGURE 10 is an end elevational view of an embodiment of the present invention including the handle of FIGURE 6 and the blade member of FIGURES 7 and 8;

FIGURE 11 is an end view of an assembly of the present invention including a central blade having a shank configuration as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4; and

FIGURE 12 is a top view of an embodiment of the present invention including the handle of FIGURES 1 and 2 and a central blade having a shank configuration as shown in FIGURES 7 and 8.

The combination implement assembly of the present invention may in its preferred embodiment include a folded handle of resilient sheet material having a narrow base portion joining two opposed side walls of generally elongate shape which typically may be polygonal or rectangular. The opposite side Walls are substantially parallel but include portions adjacent their ends which are inclined inwardly to perform a function which will be explained more fully hereinafter. Usually several, but in any case, at least one blade member is positioned between the side walls of the handle and is pivotally supported by appropriate mounting means at the end of the side walls having the inwardly inclined portions previously mentioned. The mounting means may be a rivet, for instance, fitted through aligned holes in one end of the opposed side walls of the handle. Each blade member is provided with a hole through its shank and an adjacent annular portion which permits opening the blade by movement about its pivotal axis. The combination of the folded handle, the inwardly inclined portions of its side walls, and the blade mounting means are so positioned and configured, that upon opening a blade adjacent to a side wall, the shank of the blade is frictionally engaged in sliding contact with at least one of the resilient inwardly inclined portions of the side walls. Additionally, in its opened position the blade is resiliently held by the frictional bearing of the inclined position of the side walls against its shank.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention including a plurality of blade members, the two blade members adjacent the side walls may have flat shanks. One or more additional blades may be positioned between the outside blades and each of such inner blades may include a shank having an annular section which is deformed out of the pivotal plane defined when the blade is opened. This latter shank configuration, which will be more fully described in several embodiments hereinafter, provides that the inner blade or blades will have a resilient force exerted in sliding frictional engagement upon the shank of such inner blade when it is being opened and also that the' blade will be retained in its opened position as desired.

As previously mentioned, the inwardly inclined portions of the side walls of the folded handle of the present invention may take several separate forms or combined configurations. One form may consist of the side walls of the folded handle being bent inwardly so that their upper edges are closer than the lower edges adjacent the base portion of the handle. Thus when the blades are inserted into the handle, the resiliency of the metal of the handle, together with the inwardly inclined portions of the side walls, bear resiliently against the blades in a direction generally parallel to the pivotal axis of the blade. Alternatively, the folded handle of the present invention may have side walls which are substantially parallel except for inwardly bent corners on the upper portion of the side walls and at one end thereof adjacent to the pivotal axis of the blade or blades received between the side walls. Thus the resiliency of the handle material together with the inwardly bent corners provide camming surfaces which bear in sliding frictional engagement upon the shank of the blade adjacent the inwardly bent corners when the blade is being opened and also retain the blade in its opened position when desired.

The present invention may include alternate or additional means for providing resilient sliding frictional bearing in a direction generally parallel to the pivotal axis of the blades by deforming a portion of the shank of a blade in a direction normal to the pivotal plane defined by the blade when it is opened or closed. This deformation may take the form of a bent or dished annular shank section or the shank may have its annular portion split into two sections and the two sections bent in opposite directions generally away from the pivotal plane of the blade. In either form, the desired degree of resiliently sliding, frictional engagement of the shank of the interior blade with its adjacent member is provided to assure that the blade member does not inadvertently fall open and also that when opened, it is retained in that position.

As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the operational requirements of a folded handle pocket implement must be achieved through means which are functionally effective and at the same time inexpensive and readily adaptable to manufacture through the use of conventional machinery without the use of special tools and/ or costly accessories.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated an embodiment of the present invention in perspective view. The embodiment of FIGURE 1 includes a folded handle having a base portion 11 and elongate rectangular side walls. The embodiment of FIGURE 1 also includes three blade members, 14, and 16 received between the side walls 12 and 13 of the handle 10. The blade members 14, 15 and 16 are pivotably supported adjacent one end of the handle 10 by a mounting means 17 which may take the form of a rivet as illustrated in FIGURE 1. The elongate rectangular side walls 12 and 13 have inwardly inclined portions defined by bent corners 18 and 19. When the blades 14 and 16 adjacent the side walls 12 and 13 of the handle 10 are being opened, their shank portions slide in frictional engagement against the bent corners 18 and 19 which function in the manner of camming surfaces. The resiliency of the material of the folded handle 10 thus bears directly upon the shanks of the blades 14 and 16 and indirectly upon blade 15. Accordingly, when a blade is opened, it is retained in its open position by reason of the cooperatively dimensioned and configured blade mounting means 17, the handle side walls 12 and 13, and their inwardly inclined side wall portions including the camming surfaces 18 and 19.

This configuration may be more readily understood from FIGURE 2 which is a top elevational view of the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG- URE 1 and wherein like members bear the same numerical designation as in FIGURE 1. As shown in FIGURE 2, the side walls 12 and 13 of the handle 10 are substantially parallel with each other at one end (the left part of FIGURE 2) opposite the blade mounting end. At the other end (the right part of FIGURE 2) the side walls 12 and 13, however, are clearly shown to be inclined inwardly from the base portion 11 of the handle to a narrower spacing at the top of the side walls 12 and 13. At the end of the handle 10 which supports the blade mounting means 17, the corners 18 and 19 of the side walls 12 and 13 are bent inwardly to form bearing or camming surfaces which are also clearly shown in the top elevational View of FIGURE 2. The camming surfaces 18 and 19 lie in the pivotal plane of the outside blades 14 and 16 as shown and, upon opening each of these blades, its shank will be engaged in a frictional sliding relationship by the camming surface adjacent the blade.

In combination with the camming surfaces or as an alternate means of providing frictional resilient bearing force upon the blade members, a blade such as the blade member '15 shown in FIGURE 3 maybe included to insure that blades of the assembly are properly held in either opened or closed position and have desirable resistance to opening or closing movement of a blade simulating the action of springs in conventional pocket knives. The utility portion of the blade 15 may take any one of a number of forms such as a nail file as is illustrated in FIG- URE 3, or a knife blade, a screw driver, a bottle opener or the like, or any combination thereof. The blade member 15 is provided with a shank 20 including a hole 21 at one end to receive the blade mounting means such as the rivet 17 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, and has an annular shank portion thereabout which is divided by a slot 22 into annular sections 23 and 24. The divided annular shank sections 23 and 24 are bent in opposite directions normal to the pivotal plane of the blade and shaped in a configuration including return bends 23a and 24a adjacent to the slot 22 which divides the annular shank portion into two sections.

This configuration can perhaps be more clearly seen in FIGURE 4 which is a perspective view of the shank portion 20 of the blade of FIGURE 3. The annular shank portion of the blade member 20 is shown as being divided or split into two sections 23 or 24 which are bent or deformed in opposite directions generally normal to the pivotal plane which is defined by movement of blade 20 about its pivotal axis. When supported in the assembly of the present invention by a simple mounting means, such as the rivet 17 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 inserted through the hole 21 in the shank of the blade 20, the deformed or bent annular sections 23 and 24 of the shank of blade 20 take a generally curvilinear configuration such as is illustrated in FIGURE 4 including return bends 23a and 24a adjacent to the slot 22. As will be appreciated by those knowledgeable in the art, a split shank blade member, in addition to providing the desired resiliently frictional force in assembly with the co-acting members of the unit, should operate smoothly and without damage or undue wear to adjacent members of the assembly. Effective operation of the blade member 15 illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 and included as the middle blade of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2, is assured by the return bends of 23a and 24a of its two curvilinear shank sections 23 and 24. The operation of the blade and these desirable features can be best understood by reference to FIGURE 5 which is an end view of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 and includes the blade member of FIGURES 3 and 4 as a middle blade member. The configuration is such that the split annular shank sections 23 and 24 of the middle blade 15 resiliently bear upon adjacent blade members 14 and 16 in the closed position as is clearly shown, and upon movement of the blade member 15, the deformed split shank sections 23 and 24 will bear in sliding frictional engagement against the adjacent blade members and the assembly as a whole. In visualizing such movement and sliding frictional engagement, the reason for the return bends 23a and 24a in the curvilinear configurations of the deformed split annular sections 23 and 24 can be better appreciated, since without the return bends 23a and 24a, the edges of thesplit annular sections 23 and 24 of the shank 20 would gouge, score and unduly wear adjacent blade members and the assembly sOOn become defective in operation. With the return bend portions 23a and 24a included in the curvilinear configuration of the traversely deformed split annular sections 23 and 24, the resilient sliding frictional engagement effected during opening and closing of the blade is smooth, consistent, and without damage or undue wear to the shanks or other parts of adjacent members of the assembly.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the co-action of the blade 14 with the bent corner camming surface 18 of the side wall 12 of the handle 10 upon opening of the blade. The shank of blade 14 bears in sliding frictional engagement with the camming surface springing the side wall 12 resiliently outwardly. Thus the blade mounting means 17 preferably allows outward movement of the side walls such as would be afforded by a floating rivet. Upon full Opening of the blade 14, the camming surface snaps back to retain the blade in its opened position. It should also be noted that the split annular shank sections 23 and 24 of central blade 15 resiliently compress as may be necessary to allow an outer blade to slidingly pass the adjacent camming surface of its contiguous side wall when such a blade is opened or closed.

The blade member 36 shown in FIGURE 7 may have a utility portion in any one of a number of forms for a particular purpose or a combination of functions. The shank portion of the blade member 36 has a hole to receive a pivot mounting means therethrough. An annular shank portion 37 about the hole is deformed away from the pivotal plane of the blade member 36 to form two angularly diverse sections 37a and 37b. This particular configuration is perhaps best seen in FIGURE 8 which is a perspective view of the shank of the blade member 36. The annular sections 37a and 3711 provide a resilient transverse force when assembled with the folded handle of the present invention which may include additional blade members as shown in FIGURE 10. FIGURE 9 is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 assembled with two fiat blade members 14 and 16 on either side of blade member 15. It will be noted that the blade member 14 is in an opened position and the camming surface 18, after having been sprung outwardly by engagement with the shank of blade 14 when being opened as illustrated and described in connection with FIGURE 6, has sprung back to a position overlapping the shank of blade 14 and retaining it in its opened position as illustrated. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the above described operational co-action is realized in any embodiment of the present invention having inwardly inclined portions of the side walls of its folded handle whether or not blades having deformed resilient shanks are included to cumulatively contribute to holding the blade members in any desired position.

FIGURE 11 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention including the folded handle 40 of the type illustrated in FIGURE 9, two fiat blade members 43 and 44 adjacent its side walls 41 and 42, respectively, and a blade member 45 having a split annular shank of the type illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 and previously described. As may be seen in FIGURE 11, the folded handle 40 has substantially parallel side walls 41 and 42 enclosing blade members 43, 44 and 45. As an alternative to inclined side walls, the split shank blade member 45 having oppositely displaced annular sections 46 and 47, exerts a resilient force generally in directions normal to the pivotal planes of the assembled blade members 43, 44 and 45 and bearing against the outer blades 43 and 44 and the side walls 41 and 42 of the handle 40 as well.

FIGURE 12 is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention comprising a handle 50 having inwardly inclined portions 51 and 52 of its opposed side walls 53 and 54 and including bent corners or camming surfaces 55 and 56 configured in the manner illustrated and described in connection with FIGURES l and 2, two flat blade members 57 and 58, and a central blade member 59 having a shank of the type illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8. The blade members 57, 58 and 59 are enclosed between inclined portions 51 and 52 of the handle side walls which, when the outer blades 57 and 58 are either opened or closed are resiliently displaced outwardly by the shanks of the blades 57 or 58 bearing in sliding frictional engagement against the camming surfaces 55 or 56, which displacement is permitted by the loosely mounted or floating rivet 60. The central inner blade member 59, having the transversely deformed shank previously de- 6 scribed in connection with FIGURES 7 and 8, contributes to the operation of the assembly in the manner previously explained and as embodied in the implement assembly of FIGURE 10.

In fabricating the present invention, the handle blank is usually folded to form the base portion and opposed side walls; the side walls are then inclined inwardly at one end, including inwardly bent corners in the form of camming surfaces; and then the handle is hardened generally by case hardening since low carbon steels are desirably employed for ease in forming the handle. The inwardly bent corners may be formed before the handle is folded if this latter sequence is more convenient for manufacturing purposes. The blade members are then inserted between the folded handle side walls at their wide end and are slidingly positioned so that the holes in the blade shanks align with the holes in the handle side walls which receive and support the blade mounting means. The blade mounting means, such as a rivet, is then inserted through the aligned holes and permanently afiixed in the assembly. It should be noted that the blade mounting means need not be tight as was required in many prior art devices, but may be relatively loosely afiixed without impairing the desirable operative features of the assembly of the present invention. Thus, the concept of the present invention obviates the criticality of the tightness of the rivet or other blade mounting means. Moreover, the arrangement and configuration of the present invention which provides the desired degree of transverse force bearing in sliding frictional engagement upon the shanks of the blade members in directions generally normal to the pivotal planes of the blade members, is produced entirely by means which are integral with the basic members of the assembly. Thus the concept of the present invention requires no additional parts and enables its execution in simple uncomplicated forms which result in reliable operation of the products embodying its teachings. The present invention permits many different variations in combinations and sub-combinations and thus is adaptable to use in a broad variety of specific implement assemblies. The transverse, sliding frictional force bearing upon the shanks of blade members fabricated and assembled as taught by the present invention, produces smooth, consistent operation of the assembly in use with minimal wear of adjacent members of the assembly. Additionally, the lack of criticality in the fabrication and assembly of the members of the present invention, insures proper operation and long, reliable service of products embodying its teachings.

Since many changes could be made in the described construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope or spirit of its concept, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A combination implement assembly comprising a folded handle of resilient sheet material having a base portion joining two opposed side walls of generally elongate shape, at least one flat blade having a shank portion, means pivotably mounting said shank portion of said blade between said side walls adjacent one end thereof, said blade mounting means being supported by said side walls to permit outward displacement of said side walls along the pivotal axis of said blade, said blade member being pivotable about said mounting means from a closed position between said side Walls to an open position in general alignment with the elongate axis of said side walls, and means resiliently bearing upon the shank of said blade parallel to its pivotal axis including opposed camming surfaces formed by inwardly bent corners of said opposed side walls adjacent said blade mounting means and a transversely deformed portion on one of said shank portion and said two opposed side walls providing resilient sliding bearing pressure therebetween in 'all positions of said blade, said blade and said side walls and said camming surfaces thereof being cooperatively dimensioned and configured with at least one of said camming surfaces resiliently bearing against the shank of said blade in sliding frictional engagement when said blade is being opened and resiliently retaining said blade in its open position.

2. A combination implement assembly comprising a folded handle of resilient sheet material having a base portion joining two opposed side Walls of generally elongate shape, a flat blade adjacent each said side Wall, a central blade member positioned between said flat blades,

' pivot means supporting said blades between said side walls adjacent one end thereof, said blade members being pivotable about said pivot means from a closed position between said side walls to an open position in general alignment with the elongate axis of said side walls, said central blade having a shank portion divided into opposed sections by a radial slot and said shank sections being transversely bent in opposite directions generally normal to the pivotal plane of said blade in curvilinear configuration having return bends adjacent said slot, and opposed camming surfaces formed by inwardly bent corners of said opposed side Walls adjacent said pivot means, said blades and said handle side walls and said camming surfaces being cooperatively dimensioned and configured with said oppositely bent shank sections resiliently bearing upon said assembly parallel to its pivot axis and each said handle side Wall camming surface bearing in sliding frictional engagement upon the shank of the adjacent flat blade when said blade is opened and retaining said blade in its opened position.

3. A combination implement assembly comprising a folded handle of resilient sheet material having a base portion joining two opposed side walls of generally elongate shape, at least one blade member having a shank portion, means pivotally mounting said shank portion of said blade member between said side Walls adjacent one end thereof, said blade member being pivotable about said mounting means from a closed position between said side walls to an open position in general alignment with the elongate axis of said side walls, and means resiliently bearing upon the shank portion of said blade member substantially parallel to its pivotal axis including opposed camming surfaces formed by inwardly bent corners of said opposed side walls and a transversely deformed portion of one of said shank portion and said two opposed side walls providing resilient, sliding bearing pressure therebetween in allpivotal positions of said blade member, said blade member and said side walls and said transversely deformed portion being cooperatively dimensioned and configured with at least one of said camming surfaces resiliently bearing against the shank of said blade member in sliding frictional engagement when said blade member is being opened and snapping into engagement with said blade member to resiliently hold said blade member in its open position.

4. The combination implement assembly of claim 3 wherein said transversely deformed portion in formed on said shank portion of said blade member by a radial slot dividing said blade shank portion into opposed sections and said opposed shank sections being transversely bent in opposite directions generally normal to the pivotal plane of said blade member.

5. The combination implement assembly of claim 3 wherein said transversely deformed portion is formed on said shank portion of said blade member and is of generally dished-shaped cross section.

6. The combination implement assembly of claim 3 wherein said transversely deformed portion is provided by said side walls of said handle having opposed portions inwardly inclined from said base portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,468,959 5/1949 Cannon 7--16 X 2,814,108 11/1957 Bassett -152 3,052,026 9/1962 Muller 30-268 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,804 1911 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

R. V. PARKER, JR., Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION IMPLEMENT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FOLDED HANDLE OF RESILIENT SHEET MATERIAL HAVING A BASE PORITON JOINING TWO OPPOSED SIDE WALLS OF GENERALLY ELONGATE SHAPE, AT LEAST ONE FLAT BLADE HAVING A SHANK PORTION, MEANS PIVOTABLY MOUNTING SAID SHANK PORTION OF SAID BLADE BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF, SAID BLADE MOUNTING MEANS BEING SUPPORTED BY SAID SIDE WALLS TO PERMIT OUTWARD DISPLACEMENT OF SAID SIDE WALLS ALONG THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID BLADE, SAID BLADE MEMBER BEING PIVOTABLE ABOUT SAID MOUNTING MEANS FROM A CLOSED POSITION BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS TO AN OPEN POSITION IN GENERAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE ELONGATED AXIS OF SAID SIDE WALLS, AND MEANS RESILIENTLY BEARING UPON THE SHANK OF SAID BLADE PARALLEL TO ITS PIVOTAL AXIS INCLUDING OPPOSED CAMMING SURFACES FORMED BY INWARDLY BENT CORNERS OF SAID OPPOSED SIDE WALLS ADJACENT SAID BLADE MOUNTING MEANS AND A TRANSVERSELY DEFORMED PORTION ON ONE OF SAID SHANK PORTION AND SAID TWO OPPOSED SIDE WALLS PROVIDING RESILIENT 